Need Ideas for my tank

[CoryWithAKatana]

Hey everyone, I need some help...

I have a 5.5 Gallon freshwater tank and I am completely stumped on how to stock it. It has been up and running for 2-3 weeks and I currently have a bronze corydora and a draft lily in the tank. it has a sponge filter and a heater (75F). Ive been testing the water at my local fish store and everything is fine except for my nitrites which are at 0.5ppm.

Any ideas for me how to fill? I am a teen with a limited monetary balance so some cheaper routes would be appreciated. Thanks!

[FLFishChik]

Well, let’s start with the basics. What’s your budget? Do you have a light?

Your tank may or may not be cycled with a nitrite reading of 0.5 ppm. I’m leaning towards “not fully cycled”. You should have a reading of ammonia 0, nitrites 0, and nitrates under 20 ppm. If you aren’t seeing any nitrates, then your tank probably isn’t cycled just yet.

as for stocking- you’ll be very limited on what you can keep in a 5.5g. 
 

While a single Bronze Cory will technically fit, they are happier and less stressed in groups of at least 3 (though 6 are recommended)  which will be far too much for a 5.5g tank and would be more suited to a minimum tank size of 10g (20g is better).

as for the current tank… you could do a single Betta with a Nerite or Mystery snail and a couple of Ghost shrimp. That’s about the limit. 
 

  You may want to consider upgrading to a 10g so that you have more options as far as stocking goes. Petco regularly has sales on tanks and you can pick one up for about $12.

Edited April 29 by FLFishChik

[Tony s]

You could also do some red cherry shrimp. very small rasboras will also work. think along the lines of chili's. only 3/4 inch long. small thin bodies. maybe 7 or 8 of those. possible a few male endlers so they don't reproduce. or the betta and snail, which you could make a very happy betta in that. and all these options are really a this OR that kind of thing. not all of them at once

I know, they make all kinds of cool looking little tanks. big box stores will tell you they're fine. it's not till later that you realize they're only good for a few things. 

[nabokovfan87]

I would opt for a few plants and something like amano shrimp and otocinclus.  Once you are happy with that and things are settled in and growing, then go for some very small nano fish (not easy, because they require small foods!).  You want to get that tank to be developed and planted before you add a big fish load.

On 4/29/2024 at 2:30 PM, FLFishChik said:

You may want to consider upgrading to a 10g so that you have more options as far as stocking goes. Petco regularly has sales on tanks and you can pick one up for about $12.

Agreed.  A 20Long is a really nice tank!  It is just a bit bigger / easier to work in.

[CoryWithAKatana]

Ill be looking online for some bigger tanks then. It was already an idea on my mind. Thanks for all the replies

[Tony s]

On 4/30/2024 at 8:08 AM, CoryKeeper said:

Ill be looking online for some bigger tanks then

Sounds like a good plan. But if you already have the 5g, the betta tank is probably the best idea. And if you have the room and or the money, bigger tanks are actually easier to keep stabilized water parameters in. Just by shear volume of water. 20’s are good, bigger is better even. Just a bit more work, but oh so many options. 

If corys are what you’re after, look for a tank with the most bottom surface area. Corys do best in large groups. Forget the 6 which would be a normal group, and go for much higher. It really changes their behavior.